Jane Ashe (nee Tennant) is a director at Tennants Fine Art Auctioneers, the largest specialist auction house in the UK. Tennants’ twenty-seven different departments hold over 85 auctions each year with a major focus on Private Collections, Specialist Sales and Single Owner Estates. Alongside an extensive and varied programme of auctions, Tennants’ free to enter galleries and exhibitions have helped the business to become a major visitor destination which now welcomes more than 300,000 people each year. Jane is a fourth-generation member of the family business, and as a long-time supporter of the Macmillan Carol Concert at Ripon Cathedral, is delighted to be master of ceremonies this evening. .

Having started her career in the salerooms in her early 20s when she was then one of the youngest female auctioneers in the country, Jane has been on the rostrum on a weekly basis ever since and is now widely regarded as one of the UK’s foremost auctioneers. Jane leads on many national, international and specialist sales at Tennants which include Fine Art and Antiques, Modern Art and Interiors, Jewellery, Fashion and more. During a career spanning more than 15 years, Jane has experienced many highlights, the most recent when she sold “The North Sea” a rare work by L.S. Lowry which achieved more than £1 million, a house record for Tennants’ Pictures department..

With a degree from the University of Durham and as a qualified interior designer, Jane’s passion for history, style and interiors is a strong theme in her personal life. Jane is a keen advocate of the Antiques Industry as a sustainable alternative to buying “new”. She has made appearances on BBC radio, been published in trade magazines and has helped to raise thousands of pounds for good causes through auctions and events.